


The Next Episode

by AnnaFuchs



Category: South Park
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Closeted Character, Coming of Age, Confusing, Developing Friendships, Friendship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Inspired by Euphoria (TV 2019), Inspired by SKAM, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Partying, Recreational Drug Use, Shakespeare Quotations, Underage Drinking, Underage Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-26 22:39:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30113094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaFuchs/pseuds/AnnaFuchs
Summary: He then laughed. It was a bit muffled but still that light and beautiful laugh that always seemed to disarm Craig. The blonde stepped back a little, swaying on his feet."What is this?" he snickered, adressing their still linked hands. Tweek then ripped his hand free and pointed a finger at Craig. "You're full of shit, Tucker."
Relationships: Bebe Stevens & Wendy Testaburger, Craig Tucker/Tweek Tweak, Kyle Broflovski & Craig Tucker, Kyle Broflovski & Kenny McCormick, Kyle Broflovski & Stan Marsh, Token Black & Craig Tucker, Token Black & Kyle Broflovski
Kudos: 22





	The Next Episode

**Author's Note:**

> *steps off a moving skateboard smoothly*  
> Good evening. 
> 
> So I got inspired by some pool scenes in those aesthetically pleasing and romanticised TV shows and kind of wrote this. 
> 
> I have no idea if it's any good, I'm not native speaker, but y'all lemme know, please? 
> 
> Tweek is like a year or two younger than Craig in this, I don't really know. He's not diagnosed (at least not properly), but I kind of think of this as a manic episode. 
> 
> I myself do not suffer from bipolar disorder, but I have friends who do and I've seen some pretty strong cases when I was hospitalized in a psych ward, so I hope the description isn't too far from truth. 
> 
> Also, they're all grown up a bit and just chilling together, no beef around 'Craig and those guys' anymore bcs I really like the idea they're fighting to survive in that crazy mountain town together, everyone on the same ship, ya know? 
> 
> Anyways, just try to read it, feedback very much appreciated and needed.

It didn't feel as crowded outside, though the kids around were just as drunk and loud. Maybe it was the fact that the music was blaring from the speakers inside and instead of sweaty teenage bodies, mostly cool air was surrounding him.

"Want a spliff?" Token interrupted his thought process, handing out the offer.

"Sure," Craig didn't waste time and snatched his prize. "How can you be so calm with all those obnoxious assholes around, in your house..?" he pondered.

Token chuckled lazily. "It's the weed, man. I'd be flipping out if it wasn't for this good stuff."

Craig hummed, the high already kicking in a little. Nothing he wasn't used to though. "Let me guess, it's not McCormick's shit, right?"

"Nah, got it from Marsh. Been hanging out with him a bit, lately. McCormick's more of a molly provider."

"True. I heard he's sold some hard drugs too." Craig leaned back on the fancy lounge. He and Token haven't simply chatted in a longer while than he'd care to admit. Life's been getting crazier and more out of hand, there was always something to keep him occupied.

Speaking of which, a familiar figure appeared in the doorway to the porch.

"Hey, isn't that Tweek? I haven't heard from him in like a year," Token spoke up, both watching as the clearly inebriated boy with skinny legs and oversized hoodie made his way across the porch.

 _Fuck, Craig missed_ simply _chatting with Token._

Kids around didn't pay the blonde any attention except for one guy - whose name Craig couldn't care to memorize - but the way he touched Tweek's shoulder to stop him... The stoic boy tensed up, ready to shoot out of his place and put the unlucky kid in his place.

As it turned out, none of it was necessary because Tweek flipped out instantly and in a blink of an eye, the intruder was holding his bleeding nose, stumbling back.

"What the..." Craig heard Token breathe out as both of them hastily crossed the distance between them and the furious blonde.

"Tweek, calm down," soothed Craig and tried to take a grip of his best friend's arm.

"Leave me be!" Tweek turned and instinctively yanked his arm free. He went silent when he realised who it was. Tears welled up in his eyes, but judging by his glistening flushed cheeks, it wasn't the first time this evening.

"Tweekers..." Craig gulped, suddenly very aware of the crowd of onlookers. "It's okay. Come here." He held up his hand in a comforting manner.

The blonde didn't take time. He quickly ran his gaze over all his surroundings, then fixed it upon the offered hand and, with a violently shaking hand of his own, took it.

The older boy intertwined their fingers and then sqeezed Tweek's hand reassuringly before leading him back to the lounge, shoving people out of their way.

"Alright, kids, show's over!" Token called out from somewhere behind them to dissipate the tension.

Tweek kept tripping over his own feet, eyes darting around, until Craig finally stopped and pulled him to his side, burying his nose in the sand colored curls.

The shorter boy finally seemed to take a quivering breath in and the tremors running through his whole body subsided.

He then laughed. It was a bit muffled but still that light and beautiful laugh that always seemed to disarm Craig. The blonde stepped back a little, swaying on his feet.

"What is this?" he snickered, adressing their still linked hands. Tweek then ripped his hand free and pointed a finger at Craig. "You're full of shit, Tucker."

"Okay, Tweek, calm down. Did you take anything besides alcohol?" asked the older boy, trying to ignore the accusation.

"That's none of your bussiness!" Tweek barked at him. Craig felt a storm coming. "You always pretend like you're my guardian or something, I know you tried to keep Kenny away from me! You're not some higher power just because you're older! It's my fucking thing who I'm friends with or what I do with my life!"

"Tweek, I do it because I care-"

"I'm not fucking done yet!" Craig went silent at that and watched the blonde boy take a quivering breath. He tried to agressively wipe off the tears that started running down his face. "And you do shit that ruins me!" Tweek started to back off, while Craig felt tingling in his eyes and nose. "You tell me all those pretty things, you spend time with me and hug me and protect me. Then you kiss me." His voice quivered at the last part, voice down to almost a whisper. Craig sniffled. "And then you pretend like nothing happened. You go on like a straight though guy you wanna be, leaving me to figure it out. You know what it does to me and yet..." Tweek raised his hands in a careless manner.

In that moment Craig realized that Tweek stopped at the very edge of Blacks' large and empty swimming pool. He opened his mouth but Tweek beat him to it again.

"I'm not your toy, Tucker. So stop fucking playing with me." Tweek let out a light chuckle and then took one more step backwards, falling straight into the pool.

The loud splash was like a slap to the taller boy. He rushed to the edge, only to see Tweek swimming under the water and emerging several feet away. He was laughing.

"Come on in, it's not that cold!" he called out, shaking his hair out.

"Tweek, come here right now!" Worry tinged Craig's voice, but Tweek's response was only to swim backwards a little further.

"Are you afraid?" he taunted Craig, floating in the water like it wasn't the very beginning of fall in a cold mountain town. "Well I'm not... Oh, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown! The courtier’s, soldier’s, scholar’s eye, tongue, sword, th’ expectation and rose of the fair state, the glass of fashion and the mold of form, th’ observed of all observers, quite, quite down!" He wasn't entirely sure, but he guessed that Tweek was reciting Shakespeare.

"Tweek, now's not the time..." Craig called out, utterly exasperated.

"I humbly do beseech your pardon, for too much loving you," mocked Tweek. "But of course... I'll always come back to you." And true to his words, Tweek finally began swimming towards the tall figure of his friend.

There was one thing that terrified Craig though. Tweek was leaving dark clouds in the otherwise clear water. These clouds dispersed and spread as more came from his arms. Blood.

He took out his phone and quickly started looking through his contacts, then dialed Token's number.

"A mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more." Craig crouched at the sound of Tweek's voice coming near and reached out his hand once again.

"Come out now. Please, Tweek..." he begged.

"On one condition," the blonde retorted as he came to the edge and instead of Craig's hand, he gently spread his slender fingers through the dark hair at the nape of boy's neck. His touch was cold, but Craig couldn't resist and leaned closer, completely mesmerized, subconsciously putting his phone down.

"Kiss me like tomorrow never comes," came a whisper, full of emotions that Craig couldn't name. His eyes lingered on Tweek's lips. A little full, but not too much, now blueish and gently sculpted to a perfect cupid's bow, lower lip slightly quivering.

Then the world flashed around him and the sound of his phone dialing and Tweek's sweet laughter became muted as the blonde gripped the front of his shirt and pulled him into the water with a surprising strenght.

His disoriented brain struggled to comprehend what happened until he felt those delicate lips find his own in the haze of the water surrounding them. They moved together and neither pulled apart even as they emerged back to the surface and sounds came back to his ears.

In that moment though, everything but Tweek's skinny body and intoxicating kiss ceased to exist. His hands instinctively found their way around the boy, feeling hipbones and small of his back, traveling up and down the spine, caressing his ribs.

Reality came crashing in when he broke the kiss to gasp for air. Tweek's hands were still wrapped around his neck as Craig raised a hand to trace a finger along his cheekbone. Their foreheads rested against each other for one blissful moment.

"Please, let me get you out of here," Craig begged once more. A hesitant nod was an answer enough. He pushed the boy to the edge, helped him up and then lifted himself.

"Let's get out of here," said Tweek in a quiet voice as he leaned closer once again. "And find an empty bedroom. Let's get out of these clothes."

"Tweek... You're not yourself."

"What do you mean?" came annoyed reply.

"It's just... I don't think you're able to consent," Craig said hesitantly.

Tweek abruptly stood up. "What the fuck, man? Make a fucking decision for once!" he shouted again.

"Craig! What's happen-" Token cut himself off when he took in the scene. "Let's get you inside, I'll find some help."

It turned out to be harder then expected when Tweek decided to scream bloody murder and fight both of them, saying he wanted to get out. After some placating and persuasion, he hurried ahead, only for Craig and Token arrive to the scene of Tweek chugging vodka straight from the bottle as if it was water.

It felt like a very long time when Craig had to hold struggling boy by force, tucked away in a bathroom, waiting for Token to bring help. He noticed some of Tweek's blood smeared across his own arms now.

"Kenny gave me these, said give him one and try more if he doesn't calm down," instructed Kyle Broflowski in his matter-of-fact tone as he came crashing through the door with a plate of pills and a glass of water.

"What's that?" asked Craig sceptically.

"It's quetiapin. They call it a trip-killer, Kenny carries it around just in case."

"It isn't gonna do anything bad, just make him sleepy," added Stan Marsh who appeared with Token in tow.

And it was yet another struggle to get Tweek to swallow the pill. In the end, they gave him three, after which he suddenly stopped trying to get away and simply let them do anything.

Wendy and Bebe mercifully helped get Tweek into a bathtub filled with warm water so Craig could take a quick shower in another room. He hurried back just to find Wendy outside the bathroom, speaking through a phone, and Bebe inside, trying to dry Tweek as best as she could in his nearly catatonic state. He still had his boxers on.

"I thought you would dress him..." she said hesitantly, putting a strand of curly hair behind her ear. "Token left some clothes here."

"Yeah, sure," said Craig, trying to sound noncomittal. He carefully wrapped Tweek's body in a giant towel as Bebe left and closed the door behind her.

"Tweek?" Craig tried. Unresponsive. "Tweek?!" he said much louder to which the boy raised his head and produced a humming sound. "Can you pull off your boxers?"

"Yeah..." he murmured in a voice that sounded like the muscles in his face went stiff. He rolled his eyes behind drooping eyelids and nothing happened.

"Tweek, I need you to undress so I can give you dry clothes."

"Uhm huh." Tweek finally complied with sluggish movements and after what felt like a lifetime, Craig finally managed to dress him.

Unlike the taller boy, the blonde basically swam in the clothes Token's borrowed them, so Craig rolled up the sweatpants a little, but rolled up the sleeves of a dark blue sweatshirt all the way up, inspecting two deep cuts on his forearms.

"I thought you'd need this," came Token's voice from behind him, putting the first aid kit on the floor next to Tweek. Kyle came in after him with a bottle of disinfection.

"Where are the others?" asked Craig as the other two started wrapping the barely-there Tweek's arms. He suddenly realized how tired he was.

"Girls got an uber and left, Stan's sleeping. Had too much alcohol too," answered the redhead. He paused before saying: "Kenny left with others before, figured you wouldn't wanna see him." Craig grunted. "But... He swore to me that he didn't give Tweek anything tonight. He didn't even see him smoke weed, only drinking... I trust him," Kyle finished with a sincere look in his eyes. Craig didn't respond.

"That's it. I'll help you get him into a bed," offered Token as he stood up. Tweek's arms were wrapped up under the long sleeves and considering the peaceful look on his face, nothing looked wrong with him. Except for the fact that he was sleeping in a sitting position with his back against the bathtub, three young men with pity in their faces standing around him.

"No, I can do it," said Craig resolutely and bent down to gently scoop up the fragile blonde in his arms. Token knew better than to argue. So he and Kyle simply followed Craig as he carried Tweek's dead weight to the guest bedrooms down the hall, going to the left, opposite of the room where Stan slept with door opened a creak.

"Hey, you might want this in the morning," whispered Kyle as he put down a glass full of water on the nightstand, holding one for himself. Craig carefully placed Tweek's body on a large bed, pulled covers over him and placed a pillow under his head.

"Yeah, thanks... I guess. Both of you," said Craig hesitantly towards Kyle and Token, lingering by the door.

"You know where to find me if you need anything," said Token.

"Yeah."

After appreciative nods and quiet bids of good night, Craig finally laid down next to Tweek. He sighed and turned the lights off.

The blonde stirred under the covers and cuddled into Craig, who automatically wrapped his arms around him. Tweek's hair smelled of chlorine as an awful reminder of everything that's happened in the last couple of hours. But the curls were still soft to the touch and the way he felt Tweek's slight weight on his chest felt familiar and... Comforting.

Craig ran his fingers through those blonde curls and as he placed a gentle kiss there, he felt Tweek stir once more.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... I just love you too much," came a muffled voice, barely comprehensible, but Craig's heart still skipped a beat.

"I think I love you too," whispered Craig into the dark, but the calm breaths told him that Tweek was already asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Forgot to mention that the quote about mermaids is from the Little Mermaid by H. Ch. Andersen, like... From the original Little Mermaid. 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoyed!


End file.
